Unattended runs # /goal and /ultracode: agents that run without you A /goal run keeps going on the server after you close the tab. You write the finish line as a condition the chat can show, for example “pytest reports 0 failed”. After each round a separate model reads the transcript and rules: met, not met or impossible. When it says met, the run ends. Request access [See pricing](https://zerolog.ch/pricing) Closed preview. Accounts are opened on request. ~/project Example ``` # in the chat > /goal pytest reports 0 failed # after each round, one line in the chat ⎿ Stop hook · goal not met yet: test_negative_amount still fails ↻ Hook called model again · round 1 ✓ Goal met — pytest reports 31 passed ``` ## How a /goal run works - **You set the condition** Up to 4,000 characters. “Make it better” never becomes true. Write something the checker can see in the chat, such as “the build prints no errors”. - **A separate model checks** After every answer it reads the chat since the goal was set: up to 400 messages, limited to the last 16,000 characters. If the condition is not met, it says why, and the model is called again with that reason. - **It runs on the server** Close the tab and the next round still starts. Reload the page and the lines are where you left them. - **Every round is a line in the chat** After each round you see the checker’s reason. /goal on its own shows the current goal, its state and the rounds used. /goal clear ends it. ## When a run stops - **Met** The checker found the condition true in the transcript. - **Impossible** The transcript shows a hard blocker the model cannot remove itself, such as an access right you must grant. Slow progress does not count. - **Stalled** The checker named the same missing piece four rounds in a row. The run is going in circles. - **Capped** 25 rounds by default. The operator can change that number. - **Time limit** The run reached the time limit of your plan (below). Your chat and files stay. - **Paused with an error** The checker failed, or your credit is at zero. The goal stays set. Top up, then send “continue”. ## Time limit per run One /goal run may continue without a stop for at most 4 hours on Mini, 8 hours on Pro and 12 hours on Max. Ultra has no limit. The limit applies per run, not per month: a new goal starts a new run. See [plans](https://zerolog.ch/docs/plans) for what each plan includes. ## /ultracode: several agents on one task /ultracode is a switch, not a job. When it is on, the model in your chat may split a large task across several agents in your container when that is faster than doing it alone. It decides when. Short questions still get a short answer. - **Parts run in parallel** The task is split into parts, and each part gets its own agent. - **Two checkers per part** After an agent finishes, two reviewers are told to find what is wrong with the files it changed, not with its summary. A part they reject goes back for a fix. - **A card in the chat** The plan, one line per agent with its state, and a log per agent. The card streams from the server, so you can reload or switch devices and it picks up where the run is. - **The same limits as any job** Your plan’s run time and the budget governor apply. Several models on one task mean several bills, so use it where being wrong is expensive: audits, migrations, a review before a release. ## What stops spending, and what does not - **Credit is the hard stop** Paid models stop at zero credit. Work does not continue and bill you later. - **A time limit per plan** A /goal run ends at the time limit of your plan. - **A cap for delegated agents** Delegated sub-agents draw from a default cap of CHF 0.50 per chat turn, with at most four delegated calls per turn. - **No spend cap per run** There is no spend cap per run, per chat or per agent. A long run can use all the credit you have until it ends or the credit reaches zero. - **The budget governor is the operator’s** It adds up what the whole service spends on models in a month. The operator sets it, not you, and it does not watch a single run. Details: [/goal](https://zerolog.ch/docs/goal), [/ultracode](https://zerolog.ch/docs/ultracode), [Spend limits](https://zerolog.ch/docs/limits), [Budget governor](https://zerolog.ch/docs/governor), [Jobs](https://zerolog.ch/docs/jobs). ## Questions - **How do I stop an autonomous AI agent from running up a big bill?** Your credit is the hard stop: at zero, paid models stop, and nothing is billed afterwards. Each /goal run also has a plan time limit, 4 hours on Mini, 8 on Pro, 12 on Max and none on Ultra. There is no spend cap per run, so check your balance before a long run. - **What happens if a /goal condition is never met?** The run stops on its own. It ends as stalled when the checker names the same missing piece four rounds in a row, as capped after 25 rounds by default, and as time limit when your plan’s run time is used up. Your chat and files stay, and you can set a new goal. - **Does a /goal run continue after I close the browser?** Yes. The server drives the run, so the next round starts even with the tab closed. When you come back, reload the page: every round is a line in the chat with the checker’s reason. If your credit reached zero meanwhile, the goal is paused and waits for you. - **Is /ultracode more expensive than a normal chat?** Usually, yes. When the model splits a task, several agents and two checkers per part each call a model, so one task produces several model bills. Use it where a wrong result is costly, such as audits or migrations. For everything else a single run is cheaper. ## Keep reading - **[Claude Code in the cloud](https://zerolog.ch/claude-code-cloud)** Run long Claude Code tasks as /goal in your own container. - **[AI coding agent with a persistent workspace](https://zerolog.ch/ai-coding-agent-workspace)** Files, snapshots, jobs and schedules that outlast a chat. - **[API key proxy for AI agents](https://zerolog.ch/api-key-proxy-for-ai-agents)** Let an agent use a key without ever seeing it. - **[Use your own Claude or ChatGPT subscription](https://zerolog.ch/bring-your-own-ai-subscription)** Claude Code and Codex on the plan you already pay for. ## Give an agent a goal you can check Ask for access, set a goal, close the tab. Request access [See pricing](https://zerolog.ch/pricing)